Anatomy can refer to the scientific study of an organism's structure like in the medical field, as well as the actual structure itself. It is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "a branch of morphology that deals with the structure of organisms" and the "structural makeup especially of an organism or any of its parts." For example, stating that the anatomy of a bird is aerodynamic refers to the bird's body's adaptation for flight.
Philosophy, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is "a discipline comprising as its core logic, aesthetics, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology," as well as "a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means." Philosophy can also refer to an individual or group's basic beliefs and attitudes, as well as a theory by which a task is completed --- as in, Jamie Oliver's philosophy of cooking is to use fresh produce.
While anatomy and philosophy are both fields of study that use systematic and logical methodology for research, the major difference is subject matter. Anatomy is the tangible study of the body structures of organisms such as mammals, reptiles and birds. In contrast, the study in philosophy is intangible and question the reality that the study of anatomy takes for granted. Some areas of study in philosophy including epistemology, which questions the notion of knowledge, metaphysics concerned with the nature of reality, and axiology, the study of value.
Another major difference between anatomy and philosophy is the allowance for scientific proof. Scientists studying anatomy can scientifically test and disprove theories --- unlike philosophers. Theories in philosophy cannot be scientifically tested or proven. While a philosophical argument or theory can have logical fallacies and can therefore be debunked as illogical and untrue, research in anatomy enables theories to be scientifically proven, due to its practical and physical nature.